


I Can See The Light

by scars_and_constellations



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Comforting Keith (Voltron), First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Langst, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Sad Lance (Voltron), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28471332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scars_and_constellations/pseuds/scars_and_constellations
Summary: Lance is feeling lonely on New Year's Eve and missing his family. Lucky for him, Keith stumbles upon him and knows exactly what he needs to hear."It was the beginning of a new year. A strange thought to have, Lance mused, while being in space. Comical even, but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh about it. Time was such a strange concept here, no day, no night, no changing of the seasons, nothing but endless darkness. It could have just as well been summer. Or spring break. Earth could have stopped existing and he wouldn’t even know. He tried to quell the panic rising up in his stomach, but he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking.Endless and dark the universe stretched out before him. Lance stood on the highest balcony of the Castle of Lions, aching, yearning for a dim light out in the dark to call to him. They were out there somewhere, he knew it. His family. His home."
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	I Can See The Light

It was the beginning of a new year. A strange thought to have, Lance mused, while being in space. Comical even, but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh about it. Time was such a strange concept here, no day, no night, no changing of the seasons, nothing but endless darkness. It could have just as well been summer. Or spring break. Earth could have stopped existing and he wouldn’t even know. He tried to quell the panic rising up in his stomach, but he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. 

Endless and dark the universe stretched out before him. Lance stood on the highest balcony of the Castle of Lions, aching, yearning for a dim light out in the dark to call to him. They were out there somewhere, he knew it. His family. His home. He didn’t know when he’d started coming up here, couldn’t even remember how he found it, but for some time now, whenever he felt lost or scared he would wander the corridors, up and up, until he reached this place and look for his home. It was ridiculous to look for a planet that was light-years away, but the ritual to it calmed him nonetheless. To imagine if he searched long enough, he would find the small blue planet in the sea of stars stretched out in front of him. 

He still marveled at the architecture of this place, how it seemed like he was standing outside, freely breathing in space, while if he stretched out his hand far enough, he could feel the sleek glass of the cupola protecting him. That was what being here made him feel. Protected. Safe. Sheltered from the merciless cold, the crushing pressure, but still able to see the beauty of the world around him, millions of lights, promising warmth and kindness and life.   
Normally. But this time was different. This time all he could see was darkness. There were stars and colorful streaks of stardust, but still the void behind them was closing in on him, empty, cold, lifeless.

It was the beginning of a new year, Lance thought. Would be, he corrected himself, if they were on earth. It was the beginning of a new year and he was alone. The words kept circling through his mind, a never-ending echo in his thoughts.

He was abruptly pulled back into reality, when a voice called out for him. “Lance?” His head whipped around and there- 

“Keith!” He spluttered, taken by surprise. The other paladin was standing in the doorway, his pale face illuminated by the lights of the castle. His presence unsettled him and for a moment Lance forgot all about his troubles. “What are you doing here?”   
He must had been louder than intended, because Keith flinched at the sound of his voice. He regretted opening his mouth immediately, but instead of moving back, Keith took a tentative step towards him. 

“We’ve been looking everywhere for you Lance, the fireworks are about to start. What are you doing here?” 

The words were like a punch in the gut and his worries came rushing back. Trying to hide his shaking hands, Lance gripped the handrail tightly and turned away from Keith.   
"I wasn't really in the mood." 

“Wait, aren’t you the one who wanted to do this in the first place?” There was disbelief in Keith’s voice. 

“Well, I changed my mind.” The words came out more defensive than he’d intended them to and for a moment he was scared he’d made a mistake. “Sorry, I-”   
When Keith stayed silent Lance thought he'd left, but then he heard the faint echo of footsteps and suddenly the other boy stood next to him. Lance peeked at him, unsure where this was going. Keith had rested his arms on the handrail and he was biting his lip, probably regretting his decision already. Lost in thought he scrunched his eyebrows, then made a decision.

"Why?" 

Lance reluctantly turned to face him and almost laughed when he saw Keith’s uncomfortable expression. Almost. But when the question sunk in, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He shrugged, shifting his legs and rested his chin in his palm. “Seems kinda pointless in space, doesn’t it? Nothing changes out here, we’re just...stuck.”

"What changed?" Keith tried again. “I thought you were so excited about this.”

"Yeah..." He let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah, no I- I am, I just-"   
A lump formed in his throat, making it hard to keep going. “I’ve never been alone on New Years Eve.” he blurted out. Panicking over his slip, he tried putting on a light-hearted tone and rambled on.  
“Don’t get me wrong, I love fighting bad guys and saving the universe, but-” His voice cracked and the joyful facade he’d tried to put on, slipped within a second.   
“I just really miss my family, you know?” The moment the words left his lips, he wished could take them back. Keith was going to think he was stupid. Weak. What nineteen year old still missed their parents? They carried the fate of the universe on their shoulders and here he was, whining over something as unimportant, as ridiculous, as stupid as New Years Eve.   
“I’m sorry-” he pressed out, “forget it, I’m so stupid.”   
They were at war with a race that had torn apart families, slaughtered millions of mothers and fathers and sisters… 

“Lance?” 

He was having trouble breathing and Keith’s voice sounded hollow, reached him as if they were underwater. Perhaps he was drowning. He couldn’t stop his mind from spiraling and his thoughts went back to Veronica and his parents. His nieces and his abuela and- They would be having their New Years banquet right now, but instead he was stuck in space, feeling lost and scared-

“Lance, it’s okay.” He was suddenly pulled back, when Keith’s hand landed on his shoulder, calming, reassuring him. “It’s okay.”

He slowly turned his head and his heart stopped, when he met Keith’s eyes. The warmth in his gaze was overwhelming and something in Lance broke.   
“I just miss them so much. I miss them so much and-” His voice cracked and his sight was slowly blurring. “I just have this feeling in my chest, that‘s making it really hard breathe right now? And I‘ve been- I knew this was in me somewhere, but I thought if ignored it, it would just go away. I don‘t know what to do and- I’m scared. What if I don’t make it? What if I’ll never see them again?“ Heavily blinking he tried to compose himself, but he could still feel wet streaks running down his cheeks. Hastily rubbing his eyes, he tried to take a deep breath, but instead it turned into a quiet sob. 

“Lance, I’m scared too.” Keith shifted and gripped both his shoulders to turn Lance towards him. When he met Keith’s eyes, his breath hitched. They held the same fear that he felt. He’d never seen Keith look so vulnerable before. It made him dizzy, thinking that Keith would let him see him like that. 

"And you're not alone.-” Keith continued. “I know we could never replace your family, but… you've got all of us. We’ll look out for each other. We’re gonna end this war and we’re gonna do it together. We’re all going home.”   
After a moment of silence he went on, quieter this time, his voice almost a whisper. “And I'm here for you, if you need me. I'll always be there." 

The seriousness in Keith's eyes took his breath away and warmth was rising in his chest. The words were swirling through his head, over and over and over, setting him aflame.   
"Keith, I-" He was overwhelmed with emotions, reaching for words he couldn't find, words that he didn't know, words that weren't even words at all.  
Keith seemed to understand him nonetheless and a small smile appeared on his lips.  
For a moment they were both silent, staring off into the endless void of the universe and drinking in the sight of blinking stars and whirling astral fogs. Lance caught himself staring, admiring the way the universe seemed to be reflected in Keith’s dark eyes and getting lost in the sharp lines of his face. He was beautiful. 

Suddenly Keith shifted and he was close. Too close. Lance must had made a noise, because he turned his head to look at him and time froze. Lance could see the spots of gold in his eyes and there was a warmth radiating from Keith’s gaze that made the hairs on his arms stand up.   
There was an unspoken fear hovering between them, uncertainty about what would happen, but they were trapped in their position, neither one daring to move. Locked.  
Keith blinked and his gaze shifted towards the floor, spell suddenly broken. He followed Keith’s gaze and realized he must had shifted closer, because his hand was lightly touching Keith’s and they were only inches apart from each other. Keith was looking at where their hands touched and Lance could feel his fingers twitching. Almost as if- There was a voice in his head screaming to pull back, to flee and never look back, but another part of him desperately wanted to see what would happen. He was afraid, but still he lifted his head back up, to see Keith do the same. Their eyes met with the same uncertainty as before, but now there was something else. They’d both made a choice. Keith’s fingers twitched again and slowly, carefully he opened his hand. Bit by bit, his fingers wandered over his skin, searching, finding, intertwining with his. When their palms touched, Lance’s heart skipped a beat and for a moment he couldn’t breathe. Tethered, they drifted towards each other, like they had for years and finally, slowly they met. Keith’s breath was hot on his lips, mingling with his own and then they were pressed together. His eyes closed on instinct and every thought vanished from his mind. Keith’s lips were slightly chapped, but still their touch was soft against his. His heartbeat roared in his ears and from where their hands tightly gripped each other, goosebumps were running up his arm. At first neither of them moved, more resting against each other than kissing, simply dwelling in the moment. Then, heart racing, he pulled Keith closer to him and put his hand against his cheek. Keith responded by wrapping an arm around his lower back and pushing into him. The sudden force almost caused him to stumble, but there Keith was, holding onto him tightly, as if he’d never let go. A giddy laugh rose in his chest, bubbling up and finding it’s way between their lips. He could feel Keith smile against his lips, and it drove him mad. They’re teeth clacked when they moved back in, but neither of them gave it a second thought. They found together again and again and while he was slowly running out of breath, Lance felt like there was nothing more natural than this. This was who he was supposed to be. 

Time found them leaning against each other, foreheads touching and breath slowly unwinding. Keith’s hand rested against his cheek, fingertips gingerly exploring the shape of his lips, that were still tingling from being pressed against his. Slowly Lance opened his eyes, taking in the sight before him. Keith’s cheeks were flushed and strands of his hair wildly hung in his face. He grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled the pale hand towards him to press his lips against the side of his thumb. A smile spread over Keith’s face and Lance couldn’t help, but lean forward to press one last kiss against the corner of his mouth. When he pulled back, Keith had opened his eyes too and met him with a fond gaze. He would never be alone. They had each other. A giddy laugh escaped him and Keith chuckled at the same moment. There was so much left unsaid, so much left to sort out, but for now this was everything they needed. “Hey, Lance.” Keith nudged his shoulder. “Happy New Year.” Their eyes locked once again and Lance couldn’t help the smile spreading over his face. Yes. He was safe. “Happy New Year Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written in four years, so wow. I had originally planned this as a Christmas OS (but I messed up), so if some things don't line up, I'm sorry. Also, I will edit this as soon as possible, I just wanted to get this out before the new year. Thanks to everyone who made it until here, I'm eternally grateful for you. Happy New Year everyone!


End file.
